Sky defies rumours to retain La Liga rights

Sky Sports will remain the home of La Liga after it defied weekend media reports to clinch rights to the contest for another three seasons.

Over the weekend rumours that rival BT Sport was set to grab the rights to one of Europe’s sporting top contests provoked criticism and complaints on social media from Sky subscribers expressing unhappiness that the number of leagues on offer looked set to narrow despite recent price increases.

However on Wednesday the UK’s biggest pay-TV operator confirmed it would remain La Liga’s exclusive UK home for another 3 years, increasing its association with the contest to more than 20 years.

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “This is fantastic news for Sky Sports and strengthens our position as the first choice of sport in the UK and Ireland. The agreement means our viewers can enjoy the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Bale and Neymar week in week out throughout the football season.

“Add to that the ‘El Classico’ clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the league and Sky Sports viewers are sure to see some of the best football moments throughout the season. We’re proud to take our partnership with La Liga into its 20th year and remain the home of Spanish football for another three years.”

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, added: “Sky Sports is the leading sports broadcaster for the UK and Ireland and we are delighted to continue our partnership with them for another three years.

“La Liga has a huge global fan base and by renewing with Sky Sports, the agreement provides us with the best possible way to showcase our league, our teams and our players to our UK and Irish audience.”

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